The First On The Ground

Being Sent To The Ground

Hi, I'm Augustina Bo Kane, but call me August cause it isn't that big of a mouth full. My whole life I have lived on the Ark. It's been 96 years since a nuclear apocalypse killed everyone on Earth, leaving the planet simmering in radiation. Fortunately, there were survivors, at the time of the bombs. There is now only The Ark, one station forged from the many. We're told the Earth needs another 100 years to become survivable again and man can go home, back to the ground. This is the story of how we come down to the ground starting with just me, but before I get ahead of myself I need to explain why I was even in trouble in the first place... 

(AUGUST POV)

Ever since I was little I have always gotten into things I should not have. Being the daughter of Marcus Kane had its perks but then again it didn't. My mother died when I was little, I was too young to remember what for. After she died, Marcus was never around. Grandmother says it's because I look too much like my mother but I don't know. When I was old enough to walk around the Ark without an escort, I was barely home. I had ended up stumbling across a loose floorboard one day. I being the curious kid I was, went under the floor. From then on under the floor became my way of getting around.

When I was 10, I was under the floor looking around when I heard crying. I still being a curious kid went and checked it out. Little did I know I was about to make a friend for life. I ended up finding a girl about 7 years old under the floor. After making myself known to the young girl, I asked her why she was under the floor. It turned out that she was a second child. Her name was Octavia Blake. Normally when a family had a second child, the child and the parents would be floated because it was against the law. I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone about her and that I would help make sure no one ever did find out about her. Little did I know when I made that promise, it would be part of the reason I was sent to the ground.

I took the time and figured out every time that the guards did room inspection on her home. Every time there was an inspection I would go under the floor and be with Octavia to help keep her calm in the dark. I would leave right before her family would open the floor up. Everything was going great and I was even stealing an extra ration for Octavia when I could. I was now 18 and it was very risky for me to be stealing but I did it anyway.

It seemed as if my luck had run out when Chancellor Jaha himself caught me stealing. I was brought before the council and it was decided since I was great at anything I did and the fact that my dad is Marcus Kane, that I would be trained in combat and weapons as I built a drop ship to take me to earth in a year. I was able to train and work on my own accord, so I was still able to go see Octavia. They wanted me to act as if everything was normal.

It was now a year later and I was 19. Through the years, I learned from Octavia that she had an older brother named Bellamy. I had found out what he looked like when passing him one day after training. He is training to be in the guard. But anyways, it was the night of the masquerade ball that happens every year. I was already at the party when I saw a girl that looked similar to Octavia walk in. Then I saw Bellamy walk in behind her and knew it was her. I couldn't believe that he was risking her getting caught.

I made my way to Octavia who was in the middle of the dance floor dancing. "Hey, O," I say to her. "August!!" Octavia squeals and hugs me. "What are you doing here? You could get caught?" I ask. "Bellamy said everything was okay." Octavia answers. I nod and turn to see Bellamy watching us with a curious gaze. I send a smile and a wink his way before turning back to Octavia. "Let's dance then!" I say. We are dancing and having a good time when the alarm for a solar flare comes on. The guards come into they can check people's cards. I grab Octavia by the arm and start making my way towards Bellamy who is making his way to us. By the time we reached each other all the guards were in the room.

"I'm going to make a distraction and O you run home and get under the floor," Bellamy says. "Where do I go?" Octavia asks in panic.

"Octavia listen to me," I say taking her arms in my hands. "I'm going to be the distraction. Here is my card. We look completely the same with the masks on. If the distraction doesn't work then they will scan the card, then Bellamy will escort you home. If the distraction works then Bellamy will just take you home. Okay?" I say quickly and she nods. The whole time Bellamy is looking at me with a look of thankfulness, curiosity, and amazement. "I'll see you again, Octavia," I said before running to where most of the guards are. I start fighting and pushing them out of my way. I grab one of their shock batons to help me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Bellamy slip out of the room with Octavia and I grin. But this left the chance for Shumway to sneak up behind me and shock me with his baton.

I get picked up by two guards and get dragged out of the room in the direction Bellamy and Octavia went. As we round the corner, I see that Bellamy and Octavia had just got done having scanned my card. Apparently, my mask had fallen off when I was fighting and the guard who had scanned the card noticed. I start fighting again as the guard starts heading after Octavia but nothing works because I'm too weak from the baton shock. Bellamy stands there not knowing what to do. Octavia and I are dragged away to skybox. Luckily we are put in the same cell. "I'm so sorry, O," I say.

"It's not your fault, you tried your best. It's Bell's fault. If he wouldn't have made me come neither of us would be in this mess." Octavia says.

The next morning we wake up to the cell door opening to reveal my father. "It's time." He says. "What does he mean?" Octavia asks.

"Can I have time to say goodbye?" I ask. Marcus nods. "Octavia, I'm 19," I explain.

"No, no, no," Octavia says understanding what I mean while I pull her into a hug. "May we meet again," Octavia says as we pull apart.

"No, I will see you again," I say leaving the cell and a confused Octavia behind. I prep for the rest of the day. I will leave in the dropship when everyone is asleep. I make it to the ground with a rough landing. I wake up the next morning and exit the dropship making my way to the ground. I was alive and so far the ground was survivable. I go back in the dropship to let the Ark know but I find the radio completely destroyed.

A Year Later

It has been about a year since I've been on the ground. I found out the ground is survivable but you have to survive the grounders, reapers, and the mountain men first. I had met a grounder named Lincoln and he along with a few others has helped me to survive. Seeing as it's been a year, it should be time for the council to make their final decision on whether or not they are sending the 100 prisoners down. It would have been sooner if my radio hadn't of broke on landing. Everyone on the Ark probably believes that I am dead.